The Willow Tree
by Kigai Uchida
Summary: Silver and Blaze move from a racial community to where Sonic and friends live. One day, Silver meets Shadow. I do not own Sonic characters!


"You're not my mom. You're my best friend."

"That is true, but, if I do not act as such, you would be lost."

"Why do you have to be right all the time?"

"Because I do not want to see you get hurt, Silver."

I sighed, and then chuckled. "Don't put too much confidence in me now." I slung my new, heavy backpack over my shoulder. It was going to be tough getting used to not using my psychokinetic powers. Relearning stuff is hard work when you haven't been doing it for sixteen years.

Blaze adjusted my white gloves, pulling up the gold-ring cuffs, with her OCD. The cyan energy loops on each palm faintly pulsed as I allowed my abilities to be accessible. She frowned. "What is the rule?" she rhetorically asked.

I answered anyway, "Don't use my powers unless it's a complete emergency." We both smiled and she grabbed her pack.

Back where we used to live, it was a sinful sight to have two different species hanging out and being purposely friendly towards each other. That's the reason we moved away, and hopefully, this place allows us to be friends in public. There were even arguments about colour socialization: Pink and Red, Violet and Indigo, White and Grey, Black and Grey. The complicated part about Grey was even though it was between the two colours, White and Black mixes were not allowed. Secret Grey messengers were severely punished and the receivers either jailed or executed. Even the children are tied to this law.

In fact, the law states that any White or Blacks seen together shall be put to immediate death. And, besides Blaze, I still fear things here are the same as back home. With Blaze being a Purple cat and me being a White hedgehog, we would have been run out of town sooner or later.

"We better get a move on if we do not want to be late for our first class," she said as she walked me out the door. "It is a good thing we are within walking distance of the high school. You need to work out more." She laughed good-heartedly.

I joined her, although I hated the way she said it. I could be as strong as I want as long as I 'exercised' my mind. But, I also understood that if I ever get into physical trouble, I would need the skills to defend myself instead of fight. Then again, I don't like it.

We had plenty of time to cover the two-mile distance from our new house to our new school and still arrive early enough to explore the area. It was the sort of school where there are separate buildings for the various classes instead of all in one big building. The amount of space between them only added to Blaze's light mood.

The teachers had just begun to park in their spaces one by one, indicating there was only half an hour before the student would be allowed on campus. "It will be alright, Silver," Blaze told me. "I will talk to the others for you. I will not let them hurt you." She held my slumped shoulder.

That made me feel a little better…until the students arrived. They came in car-loads: five to one. "Can I just pretend I'm a mute?" I weakly asked. I hid slightly behind her in fear of the law.

"Of course not," she laughed, and then suddenly turned serious. "If you do not wish to talk, I will not force you." She seemed to be on her guard. Maybe to protect me. She tightened her high ponytail and fiddled with her fuzzy gloves. Then, a floating wisp of red and orange fire appeared in the palm of her upturned hand. "Ease your stress. I shall guard your back."

As we maneuvered our way through the mob of students, a slightly taller blue hedgehog stepped out in front of me and held out his hand. "You must be the new kids," he said, winking at us. He noticed our lack of response and shrugged. "Can't win'em all over."

Blaze scooted me behind her and half-bowed to him. "Excuse us, but we must be to our class." She held out her hand this time and they shook. "Perhaps another time.

The blue hedgehog grinned. "You see, the funny thing is we have the same first class. That's why I decided to say hello to you now."

The stranger saw to it that we didn't get lost on our way, so he stuck with us until we got there. "Thank you for your kindness, sir," Blaze said, bowing again.

"Oh, no problem." He waved his hand in dismissal. "And the name's Sonic."

"I am Blaze and my friend is Silver."

I peeked around her to Sonic and raised my hand. My attempt at a wave failed as my hand only came a few inches from my side and then sunk. To feel safer, I tightly clung to one of the tails of her butler-shirt with both hands and hid again.

Sonic looked confused. "There are still a few minutes. See ya later!" He sped off in a matter of nanoseconds.

"He was kinda nice," I admitted, watching him run off.

Later, on our way to our fourth class, a lean, dark hedgehog boringly leaned against a sturdy willow tree, near the center of the school garden, with his arms crossed. When I spotted him, his spooky red eyes darted to mine and made my stomach flip over. I had stopped dead in my tracks to watch him slowly sink down to the ground and glare directly at me. I jolted out of my trance when the blue stranger casually rested his arm on my head.

His emerald eyes shifted between me and the darker stranger that wasn't staring at me anymore. "Great first impression," he commented. He looked at me when I jumped and shook him off. "Dude, what's wrong with you?" he asked.

I had frozen in a low bow when Blaze came back for me after realizing I was gone. "Pardon him," she defended me. She helped me thaw and hide myself behind her again. "He is not used to talk to whom he is unfamiliar." She felt me grasp her shirt in safety.

Sonic apologized, "Sorry 'bout that. Didn't know. But I was just going to warn him about that guy over there." He pointed to the willow. "He's not someone you want hanging around. See, he's got this record of murders, which you wouldn't believe, that he's committed within these past years. The motorcycle he rides has a bloody reputation as well. And, he carries a gun wherever he goes in case his imaginary stalker tries to get him another time. At least, that what rumors say." He patted Blaze on the back. "Tell your little buddy I said to be careful with him."

"What is his name?" she asked.

"Can't tell ya, just don't go near him."

"Yes," agreed Blaze. "It would be wise to stay away. I have overheard others talk cowardly of his actions." She took my hand and turned her back on Sonic. "Farewell, Sonic," she said. After dropping me off at the classroom, she held me in place. "My class is elsewhere, and for that I apologize. I trust you will do well enough without me?"

I touched her paw. "Don't worry 'bout it," I said smugly. "I'm gonna try to make a friend this time. I'll meet you at the campus front gate, ok?"

"Be cautious and careful," she reminded, hugging me. Then, she was lost in the bustling crowd.

I had arrived as one of the few there, taking my seat on the outside of the mess of chairs. I set my supplies on my desk and practiced, in my head, the different ways I could talk to someone. Near the time of the bell, I saw, from the corner of my eye, a figure sit at the desk next to me. I clenched my fists and turned to the figure. "Hello," I said with a tremble in my voice.

"Hmm…"was the reply. Red eyes bore into my face until I got a good look. He was the same hedgehog I had seen earlier. His black fur sent tremors through my entire body and knotted my muscles. Hideous thoughts of torture and execution spun before me.

"Hello," he said, still staring at me, holding my gaze. His frown hardened when I stared back in a trance. He turned away as the teacher stepped up to the board to speak.

His mysteriously soothing voice rung through my head most of class and as I impatiently waited at the gate. Just before Blaze arrived, I caught another glimpse of him.

Blaze held my hand in worry. "Are you alright?" she asked me. My hand trembled in hers. "Has something happened while I was away?"

I didn't want to lie to her, my only friend, but I wanted trust to be alone. I hoped she forgives me in the long-run. "It's nothin'," I shrugged. "It was just unnerving without you around." This loosened her up a lot. I managed a smile. "I wanna go home now, if that's ok with you."

Through the rest of the quarter and the end of mid-quarter break, I had been able to talk to Sonic and a couple of his friends without sweating too much. I soon realized that the law didn't apply here and these people weren't trying to trick me into thinking I was safe. The second quarter rolled by in a flash and near the end is when I summoned all my courage.

Knowing the black hedgehog frequently skipped out of the one class we had together, I stopped by the willow tree where I knew I'd find him. Even though the thick scarf, mittens, and earmuffs Blaze had knitted for me kept me warm, the package in my arms felt like a cube of ice sprinkled with ten-pound snowflakes. "Umm…excuse me," I squeaked when his eyes met mine. I cleared my throat and promulgated the gift from under my bundled scarf out to him. "I got this for you, although it's not quite Christmas time yet. I'm not sure if I'll see you while school is out these next two weeks."

He only stared at the small, black box with a silver and red bow hand-tied on top that rested in my hands. Frost glazed over the box, giving it a shine.

"I'm Silver," I blurted, shattering the silence. "What's your name?"

He looked up at me and said, "Shadow," unmoving otherwise. I faintly noticed that he had no winter gear on him.

Feeling nervous again, I set the gift at his feet and placed my scarf in his stony arms. "I don't want you to catch a cold. Merry Christmas," I added, walking to class in a hurry. To be honest, I took one last glance at him before break began, but he was still just a cold statue.

All the disappointment evaporated when I saw him on our day back in school. He was dismounting his big bike in the car lot. He had opened my gift after all! Then, I remembered the scolding I got from Blaze when I lied to her again. She had asked me where my scarf had gone, and I told her I'd lost it but that I'd find it when we got back.

Shadow trudged over to me and Blaze, his new prayer locket dangling about his muscular neck, and held the scarf out to me. He stood still even when he'd triggered Blaze's defense mode: claws and fangs bared and crouching in front of me.

I felt embarrassed and angry at the way she trusted him. "It's ok, Blaze," I said, stepping around her. My new move startled her. "He's only returning the scarf I lost two weeks ago."

"Here," he said. His attention never left the danger.

I accepted the item and bowed. "Thank you very much, Shadow." I suddenly heard whispers all around us and felt the weight of Blaze's eyes, Shadow's as well. I was embarrassed again. "Did I say something I shouldn't have?" I asked. I looked at the whispering people and when I turned back, Shadow was gone. As the warning bell rang, everyone fled to their classrooms. My ears drooped.

Sonic threw his arm on my head and said in a hushed voice, "No one's ever said his name before without an enclosed threat." He kindly escorted the two of us to class and sat quietly.

The teacher kept side-glancing me during the lecture.

Over the next two months, heading into March now, Shadow hadn't showed. Terrible guilt racked my brain to the point where I fell into self-harassment. I continuously let gravity get the best of me when something was thrown at me. I'd let the object hit me, thinking I deserved every bit of pain. The agony of knowing that my actions caused someone else's suffering or anger was something I thought I would never do. It killed me inside to know it wasn't impossible.

I slept in all day when there wasn't any school, scaring the heck out of my best friend. The next day, Sonic proposed we all go to the carnival that was to open in a couple weeks. He was bringing his friends along and asked if our parents would be ok with that. I fell silent while Blaze explained about how we live on our own. Then, he asked if we were up to walking because he didn't like driving.

Actually thinking about the carnival lifted my spirits enough where I figured: I just have to wait for Shadow. If he didn't want to come to school, then he doesn't have to. When he comes I'll talk to him. I raised my hand for a high five and said, "We'll be happy to come!" My sudden change in attitude made Blaze smile.

Those two weeks breezed by as I loosened up more and more. But, the job Blaze had recently been hired for caused her to work the Saturday of the carnival. Though we were sad, she told me how important the money was for us to live and gave me a hug after school. She had placed in hand a small, mechanical device that all the other students used all the time.

"It's called a phone," she had explained before leaving. "If you need me, press the number two and the green button, hold those holes to your ear and we can talk from long distances."

"You know, the radioactivity in cell phones causes brain tissue to sizzle," Sonic informed me, unknowing of my powers. Yet.

At one of the games, where you have water guns and have to shoot the targets to win the race, the winner siren went off, frightening me to death, and I had accidentally levitated a few people in the air for a couple seconds. The cyan loops on my gloves glowed in that instance and I hid behind a trash barrel.

"What was that?" one of Sonic's friends, a Green crocodile, exclaimed.

After the siren stopped, I joined the group again. "I'm sorry. The noise scared me," I said. "I'm a wuss."

"That's alright," an Orange fox laughed. "I'm still afraid of loud noises."

"Did I hurt anybody?" When they said no, I sighed in relief and we all laughed. Maybe, since Blaze was gone, I could use my powers if I wanted. "You guys really don't mind?" They shook their heads.

Gone unnoticed, sitting on a hill that overlooked the site, someone observed the group of friends as he noted his target.

"So, Silver," a Red echidna started, giving me a conniving grin. "You ever tried really using your powers?"

I responded, earning more questions, "Yes I have."

One was: "Could you make a roller coaster go faster?"

I thought about it. I didn't want to sound dumb for not knowing what that was, so I said, "Of course! Who doesn't like a super-fast rollercoaster?" I was led to a monstrous jungle gym of steel beams and tracks that looped and twisted several yards above the safety of the ground. A snake-like train of cars hurriedly zoomed through the dangerous gravity-defying obstacles.

When we reached the narrow platform that allowed us access to the snake that had come to a stop, Sonic paid a man in a suit at the control panel. The man pressed several buttons and pulled a lever, shutting down his panel.

When we were seated, everyone was looking at me with anticipation. I gulped and nervously increased the gravity around the cars so we wouldn't fly off in case of emergency. The Red echidna instructed me to slowly climb the first hill then go fast until we end up back at the start. So I did. There was one point where my powers faltered, causing the snake to detach and soar to the next hill. The snake tilted downward to smoothly catch the track. It continued like a bullet as if there was never a disturbance.

I twirled my way overboard, the side with no platform, after I stopped the snake, choking back the urge to spew onto the cold pavement. I fell flat on my face seven feet below and moaned in pain. "I never want to ride that thing ever…ever…ever...," I mumbled as I attempted to use my self-therapy to heal the pain pulsing in my stomach. Exhausting a bit of my psycho energy, I sat myself up and dusted off my wind-rushed fur.

Aside from the roller coaster and water gun incidents, the rest of the evening captured the best and worst of our little group. Even Blaze found us at the snack bar when her job let her off early. Somehow we managed to enter her into a bobbing-for-apples contest. She won, with my psychokinetic help.

Blaze and I locked our hands together and skipped freely out of the boundaries of the carnival life. It was close to closing time anyway. As we all headed in the direction of our homes, I unnoticeably stopped and turned to see a missed hedgehog leaning against his glossy bike. A sharp gasp caught in my throat since I didn't want to alert the others. I quietly crossed over the lot to confront him. I inhaled deeply and blurted, "Look, Shadow, I know you hate all living things, I've figured that much out. What I can't understand is why." I coughed nervously. "W-what I mean to say is—"

Shadow's fiery orbs burned a hole through my shy golden ones, paralyzing me in mid-sentence. "Get on."

I shook my head to work my tongue again. "Excuse me?"

"Get. On," he repeated, positioning himself at the front part of the leathery seat and gripping the padded handles. He blankly stared ahead.

When did he suddenly want anything to do with me? Sure I've been nice to him, but I never expected anything back. Especially a ride on _Shadow's_ motorcycle! I shuffled my feet nervously and couldn't decide whether I should go or not. Blaze wouldn't mind…would she?

Shadow glared from the corner of his eye. His hands squeezed the handles with force.

I shivered, giving in under his gaze, and cautiously climbed on the back of his bike. I so was scared out of my wits of what might happen next that I almost regretted coming over here in the first place. From the corner of my eye, afraid to turn and look, I could see Blaze and the others stare towards us in a state of shock. Blaze was starting to walk in our direction with fire in her eyes and in palms of her hands. The flames licked up her sleeves as though her arms were burning. I showed her a shy smile when I half-turned to see her and weakly wove my hand in farewell. _'Don't worry, I can take care of myself,'_ I thought in my head, projecting my thoughts into my friends' heads using psychokenesis. Blaze smiled.

"Hold on," Shadow warned just before he revved the engine. He kicked something from the side that made a loud CLICK! The front tire bounced in the air as he made one final tug on the handles and we shot forward like a bullet. Both tires squealed against the pavement when the front one settled down to the ground.

The whole scene almost had me jump out of the seat, but instead I had wrapped my skinny white arms around his soft mid-section. Blood rushed to my cheeks in embarrassment. Too afraid to let go because I didn't want to fall, I stayed in that position—my face was buried in his back—until we stopped. I hadn't yet realized that I had flattened my body against the seat and my arms were now clinging to the bike.

Shadow kicked something at the side again and slid off in one fluid motion. "Silver?" One hand hovered over me as if telling me it was safe.

'_Did we stop?'_ I thought to Shadow. The reply was the touch of his hand and I opened my eyes. They were heavy from crushing my eyelids together for too long. My limbs slowly loosened their painful hold. Their soreness made me dizzy as blood was able to flow freely through my veins once more. I sat up alright, but when I tried to dismount, the slope of the hill we parked on alerted my attention too late. The lower side was where I tried to land on and my other boot caught the raised part of the seat, crashing me into the arms of the obsidian hedgehog.

Shadow saved me in the niche of time. My face-first fall was cushioned by the softest tuff of fur on his chest and his awaiting arms held me at the waist and the back of the head. The impact of this didn't move him at all; his legs continued to stand stone-still despite gravity.

My body however, even though it was caught, just slumped like a wet rag into him. I was totally pathetic! Why couldn't I have simply levitated myself to safety? Or even been smart enough NOT to trip myself? Ugh…but his fur comforted me in a weird sort of way. Like I was never in any danger.

"Silver," he said again. "There's something I've been meaning to tell you." He carried me down the rest of the hill and placed me on the grass beside him.

More than two words? He's never said that many words to anyone all at once. There must defiantly be something important. Tears burst from my eyes and I hurried to wipe them away. "Sorry," I apologized. "I'm a wuss. I've never fallen before."

"There's a deeper meaning, isn't there?" Shadow lifted my head and brushed one tear away himself. "If you feel uncomfortable I'll take you home."

"No, no, it's ok," I lied. I was even more afraid of what may happen. I sniffled.

He cleared his throat. "Can you keep a secret?"My nod relieved him. "I like you, Silver."

I blinked rapidly to make sense of it. "What?" I whispered. I'd never figured he'd have _any_ interest in me, too. Not that it's a bad thing….

"Is that too much for you?" he asked just as soft as I did. He seemed confused and unlike himself now. It tightened my stomach muscles.

"I…like you too, Shadow," I admitted. I did, actually, since I saw him by the willow at school. It was kind of silly now that I'd hidden my feelings for him.

His extra-warm hand rested on top of mine as we smiled at each other in this secluded field.


End file.
